Define Normal
by SwordsMaster231
Summary: This story takes place six years after the last episode of Gravity Falls. If you haven't seen the show, there are some major spoilers ahead. You have been warned. Yes, this story is Pinecest. Dipper x Mabel.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

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The news had finally come. Stanley and Stanford Pines were dead. But at the very least, they had died doing what they loved: sailing the sea, facing untold dangers, and solving impossible mysteries. Six years they had been traveling. Six years since Soos took over the Mystery Shack. Six years since Dipper and Mabel had left Gravity Falls. They had visited during those six years, of course. But it was never the same without Gruncle Stan or Genius Ford. Their parents were much more hesitant to let the Pines Twins anywhere near Gravity Falls after their great uncles left on their grand adventure. Six years and they had only been back to Gravity Falls for a grand total of forty-two days. One week out of each summer. It wasn't enough. But it had to be. They didn't have much choice. Until their eighteenth birthday, that is.

Or rather, they would be turning eighteen soon. Either way, Dipper and Mabel had one request for their parents: let them return to Gravity Falls for one more summer before sending them off to college. Since they were almost adults, their parents agreed on one condition: that Dipper and Mabel look after each other. They always did. And so that's how Dipper found himself staring down at the three journals he had packed into his suitcase. He had probably read them a hundred times over at this point, but not to find information about some weird creature causing havoc. He read them to remember Gruncle Stan and Ford.

A small tear ran down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away. It was in this moment he made a decision. Slowly, but deliberately, he removed the journals from the bag and placed them back in their spot on the bookshelf. Nothing strange happened in Gravity Falls anymore. Well, not from what he had seen over the last six years. He was a young man who believed in being prepared… But they just brought back too many sad memories. He zipped his suitcase closed and turned to leave the room. He paused when he caught sight of Mabel standing in the doorway, tears in her eyes. He sighed softly.

"How long have you been watching?" He asked.

There was a short silence, followed by a sniffle as Mabel wiped her eyes and responded.

"Long enough, Dippinsauce." She replied with a watery grin.

Dipper couldn't help but smile, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. Even in the darkest of times, Mabel knew exactly what to say to make him smile. She took a long, shaky breath and Dipper could tell she was struggling not to break down crying again. They had both done it already and didn't want to repeat the process. He pulled away from her slightly after a moment, looking down at her. They had both grown in these last six years. Mabel constantly complained about not getting any taller. Dipper, on the other hand, grew like a weed. He was now at least six inches taller than her, yet still as skinny as a stick. He was working on fixing that, though. Of course Dipper, being the cautious young man that he is, suggested that both he and Mabel start taking self-defense classes. So both he and Mabel could be prepared if they ever had to fight anything dangerous again. Or at least more prepared than they had been when they were twelve.

Dipper was certain he owed his life to no small amount of luck, his own brain, and Mabel's grappling hook gun. And of course her never ending courage and the optimism she always seemed to have, no matter how bad things got. He really admired her for that. It was more than admiration, really. He blinked and sighed when _**those**_ thoughts surfaced again. In comparison to everything he had been through, the thoughts he was having about his twin sister seemed almost normal. They weren't, of course. He knew that. But if he were honest with himself, he didn't really care. So what if he had feelings for Mabel? They had been through hell and back together. It was natural for him to rely on her. Her strength gave him strength.

"Are you okay, Dipper?" Her voice cut through the haze in his mind.

She only called him Dipper if she was worried or angry. This was obviously the former. He smiled and nodded, hoping it was convincing enough as he gave her another quick hug.

"I'm fine, Mabs. Just thinking about our trip." He answered.

He pulled away from her, albeit reluctantly, and went back to checking his suitcase for the hundredth time. Mabel smiled as she watched him, crossing her arms as she leaned against the door frame. Unbeknownst to Dipper, she was having similar thoughts.

She wasn't sure who had taken the news of their uncles' death the hardest: her or Dipper. She knew they had both cried for hours. Most of that time was spent comforting each other, after all. She had curled up in his lap and just let her tears soak his shirt. After the fact, she would notice part of her hair was drenched as well.

She always saw Dipper as the strong one. He was more emotional when he was younger. He was much more calculated now. More mature. But she could see through his tough exterior in a heartbeat. Maybe it came from the fact they were twins. Maybe it came from something else. There were _**those**_ thoughts again. It was strange, but she wasn't surprised when the thought first occurred to her. Well, she was surprised that she wasn't surprised, if that makes any sense. It just didn't seem weird for her to think that way. Not after everything she had to endure. She could still remember it like it was yesterday. Dipper never gave up on getting her out of that "perfect" world.

She grimaced as she remembered her own words. How could she have been so naïve? But Dipper came through. Just like he always did. Although, sometimes she wondered… What would that world have shown him? What was his greatest desire? In other words: did he have feelings for her back then? She paused in her train of thought. Did he have feelings for her _**now**_? She shook her head. No, of course not. Why would he?

"Are you ready, Mabel?" His voice snapped her out of her stupor.

She nodded and smiled after a moment, standing up straight and letting her arms fall to her sides.

"Yep! I'm all packed. We just have to say goodbye to mom and dad, first." She pointed out.

He nodded in agreement, standing up and dragging his suitcase behind him. Mabel moved out of the doorway to let him pass. Her bag was already downstairs. They shared a knowing glance. No words needed to be spoken between them. It would be nice to see Gravity Falls again… but they would also miss their parents terribly.

"Come on," Dipper said with a small, genuine smile, "they're probably waiting for us."

Mabel returned the smile. They were both looking forward to this trip, she knew that much. But neither knew the reason beyond just seeing their favorite childhood vacation spot. Neither of them realized the truth: they both had feelings for each other.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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The drive to Gravity Falls was relatively uneventful. Dipper and Mabel split the driving time evenly. They stopped for food, gas, bathroom; normal road trip stuff. But that was part of the problem. This road trip was never normal. Or at least, it never used to be normal. Every year since they left it had been painfully normal. Almost like they were wishing for something or someone like Bill Cipher to pop up out of nowhere and cause a ruckus just so they would have something to do. What _**was**_ normal, anyway? How did they define normal? Well, Dipper was entirely sure you could never get the same answer from two different individuals. Everyone had a different view on what was normal. He glanced over at Mabel out of the corner of his eye, the orange rays of the sunset painting her face in a gentle hue and setting her hair aglow, as if it were a crackling fire or an angelic halo.

Dipper couldn't help but stare for a moment. Her hair framed her face perfectly, falling past her shoulders in caramel waves. If her eyes were open, as she was currently dozing, he would see chocolate brown orbs staring back at him. And no doubt that dazzling grin, one that outshone all the stars in the night sky. She smiled in her sleep, as if she could hear his thoughts even in her dreams, leaving Dipper to wonder curiously what she was dreaming about. He looked back to the road suddenly when he realized he had been staring for far too long, blushing faintly. There was no reason for him to be embarrassed. He hadn't done anything wrong…yet. He sighed. He was starting to get tired of his own thoughts. They confused him and frankly he didn't like things he couldn't solve. So when he was first presented with the mystery of his feelings for Mabel, he had tried to think about it logically. Of course, that only made the problem worse.

The first thought to come into his mind was the taboo of what he was feeling. It was considered unnatural by most to feel anything for your sibling other than familial love. It was considered wrong, sick, disgusting, unethical, unspeakable, and many other discouraging words. But then, there were parts of the world that allowed such a union. In some parts of the world, it didn't matter who you loved. Besides, it's not like you can pick who you fall in love with. The second thought that came into his head was the struggle between acceptance and denial of his feelings. He had been very conflicted for many months and only now was he finally leaning in one direction over the other. He wasn't sure what that meant for his future relationship with his twin sister, but he hoped they would always be as close as they were now.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the exit sign for Gravity Falls flashed by. He was so deep in thought, he had almost missed his turn. Although he wouldn't mind spending more time in the car with Mabel, he was almost certain she would want to get out and stretch her legs as soon as possible. So he made the turn onto the exit, slowly coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill. It was interesting how quickly the pavement transitioned into dirt and the street lamps into towering trees. The sound of horns and tires screeching to the sounds of crickets chirping and birds singing. If you didn't know where to look, you would probably never find Gravity Falls. Fortunately, they did know where to look. Dipper smiled as he drove carefully along the rarely used path towards his other home. _**Their**_ other home. It wasn't long before Dipper arrived in front of the ever welcome sight of the Mystery Shack. The lights were out at this point. Soos had probably closed up shop and gone to bed already. He reached over to prod Mabel awake.

"No…five more minutes." She responded childishly.

He chuckled and poked her again.

"Come on Mabs, don't make me tickle you." He threatened.

She sat straight up when she heard this, letting out a huge yawn and stretching her arms up over her head. Dipper had to make an effort not to look at her chest as she unintentionally puffed it out. Mabel didn't notice this fact. She was too preoccupied with the dream she had been having. It wasn't that the trip wasn't fun. There wasn't anyone else she would rather spend eight hours alone in a car with than Dipper. But apparently she had dozed off about two hours from their destination. It was getting hazy quickly, but she could still remember her dream. It started simply enough with her and Dipper sitting in the living room, cuddled up together, watching some movie. She couldn't remember which movie, but that wasn't important. What she _**did**_ remember was how she felt.

 _It was warm in his arms. She felt safe and loved. She felt like no harm would ever come to her so long as his arms were around her. She smiled and snuggled closer to her source of warmth, burying her head into his chest. A deep, rumbling chuckle sounded through his chest and she hummed in contentment._

" _Hey Mabs?" He spoke up._

" _Hm?" She responded, curled up in his lap._

 _This was way more comfortable than her own bed. Why didn't she just sleep here?_

" _I want to talk to you about something." He said._

 _He sounded serious. She looked up at him with her big, brown eyes. He stared back at her with such intensity that she almost gasped._

" _What is it?" She asked quietly._

 _There was something…different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could feel it in the air. A tension- No. A spark. Almost electric. A tingling sensation you get in the pit of your stomach when you're standing on the edge of a cliff. The fear of falling and yet the assurance that the one you trust most is right behind you, their arms wrapped around you, as if to say 'I will never let you fall'. They stared at each other for the longest moment that Mabel almost forgot she was waiting for an answer. Finally, he spoke._

" _I wanted to talk about us." He said._

 _She tilted her head curiously._

" _What about us?" She asked._

 _He hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting this way and that as he contemplated his next words._

" _Can you ever see us being apart?" He asked._

 _Her gut instinct was to say yes. They would have to separate at some point. But that's not what she said. She thought about it for a long moment before realizing that, no, she couldn't imagine them ever being apart. So she shook her head._

" _No." She answered simply and firmly._

 _He smiled a brilliant smile. One that made her heart race and her stomach flutter. She smiled back._

" _Good." He replied just as simply. "Then I have one more question for you."_

 _She nodded in anticipation._

" _Do you love me?"_

 _She almost laughed at the question. She was just about to answer when he held up his hand to stop her. She looked at him in confusion for a moment before she saw the conviction in his eyes._

" _Do you_ **love** _me?" He asked again._

 _It took her only a second to realize what he was really asking. She felt a faint blush rise to her cheeks and she hesitated ever so slightly. But the truth soon burst forth from her, like water bursting through a dam._

" _Yes." She answered, more calmly than she anticipated._

 _He smiled. That infectious, heart-melting smile._

" _Good." He said._

 _It was crazy how he could make her feel this way with one word. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and she almost moaned at his touch. Her breath quickened as he leaned towards her, eyes closed…_

"Mabel?"

His voice brought her out of her reverie. She blinked for a moment, realizing she had been staring out the window for the past minute with a goofy grin on her face. She turned to the owner of the voice, managing not to blush in his presence.

"What's up, Dip-Dip?" She asked as casually as she could.

He raised an eyebrow. She hadn't called him that for at least two years. He shrugged after a moment, deciding he would ask later if it was important.

"I was just asking if you wanted to go to bed." He said.

Now, in any other circumstance, Mabel would know exactly what he meant. But given what she had just dreamed _**and**_ day dreamed about, she could only blush and stutter.

"G-go t-to b-bed?" She managed to say.

Now Dipper was concerned. She was starting to look a little red. Was she getting sick? He reached forward and placed the back of his hand against her forehead, something that didn't help her flushed features in the least.

"Are you okay? You look a little red." He said, obviously concerned. "Maybe a good night's sleep would do you some good."

It was in that moment she realized her mistake. She let out a huge sigh of…disappointment? Or was it relief? Either way. Mabel was much more composed now. Well, more than before at least.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sleep sounds good." She said, only stuttering a little.

She cringed in her mind at how lame the excuse sounded. She had just taken a two hour nap! There was no _**way**_ he would buy that…

"Okay…if you're sure." He responded, pulling his hand away.

His concerned glance warmed her heart and she gave him a reassuring grin.

"Really, Dipper, I'm fine." She assured him.

It only took him a moment to smile back.

"Good." He said simply and then he stepped out of the car.

And just like that, Mabel's blushing storm started all over again.


	3. AN

First and foremost, I want to stress that this is a fictional story with fictional characters. Anything that happens in this story is completely fictional and does not, in any way, represent my personal views or opinions. Second, I would like to apologize if this story isn't your cup of tea. If you don't like it you don't have to read it. I was originally going to post something like this in the disclaimer but I hoped I wouldn't have to. At any rate, I realize this pairing is a sensitive topic for some people. But once again, IT IS NOT REAL. None of it. Zero. I'm not trying to portray my thoughts, feelings, or anything I've observed about the real world. It is just a story I wanted to write. I even address the taboo of incest in the story itself and the fact that it's majorly frowned upon in the real world. Obviously, this is not a representation of all twins and their relationship to each other. This is not a personal view. This is FICTION. Read or don't read. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just wanted to clear that up.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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The twins were careful to be as quiet as they could when entering the Mystery Shack. They weren't entirely sure if Soos was there or not, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It wasn't that they thought he would be angry if they woke him up. They knew for a fact that he wouldn't. Actually, he would probably be happy to see them. But Soos needed his rest if he was going to make it through the day. The Mystery Shack was a little less popular after the incident, but that didn't stop almost the entire town from visiting every once in a while. Mabel found it odd that even after six years, the town still refused to acknowledge anything that had happened with Bill Cipher. She didn't blame them, of course, but she figured they would have gotten over it by now.

Either way, Gravity Falls hadn't changed one bit since she had left. Except for the fact that the Gleeful and Northwest families had moved on. Her face warped in displeasure as she remembered Gideon Gleeful and his advances. She shuddered at the memory. He was always creepy to her. But then, maybe he was normal compared to _**other**_ things. She sighed softly, walking up the staircase to their room in the attic. It was almost too small for them at this point, but she didn't mind. She hoped Dipper didn't either. She also remembered Pacifica Northwest, the blonde bimbo daughter of the Northwest family. Looking back on it, Mabel had been a little jealous of her. She just hadn't understood it at the time. She just thought she was angry because Pacifica was a rude, stuck-up, snotty little…she-dog. She didn't realize her face had contorted into a scowl until Dipper spoke up.

"You okay, Mabs?" He asked. "You look a little angry."

She turned to look at him, confused for a moment before her brain caught up.

"Oh! Uhh…yeah! I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She replied, waving a hand dismissively.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

His question caught her off-guard for a moment. She had already turned back to face her bed. She stared down at the almost-too-small cot, biting her lip in contemplation for a moment before making a decision. She shook her head. It wasn't the right time. Would there ever be a right time?

"Not tonight, Dipper." She answered softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He was silent for a long moment, so she assumed that reply had been enough to deter him. She was wrong. Dipper was staring at his twin, her back turned towards him as they both stood in silence. His sister had been acting strange since they got here less than an hour ago. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was certain something was off. And it frustrated him to no end. He was going to get to the bottom of this even if it killed him. Well, metaphorically speaking, of course.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

For him, it wasn't really a question. It was more of an affirmation that he had always been there for her. And he always would. He would always be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, shelter from the storm, and a shield from the cold wind. But he was having trouble putting that into words. They were a bit too impassioned for his taste. So he fell silent once again, awaiting her response. As soon as he saw her shoulders sag, he knew she had given in to his pleas.

"I know I can." She said first, turning back to face him.

Her expression shocked him for a moment. It wasn't lively, shining brightly, or full of mirth. It was a vulnerable expression, one of barely concealed fear. Fear of what, he could only guess. He slowly sat down on his bed, never taking his eyes off of hers. She mirrored his movements, taking a long, deep breath before speaking again.

"How would you define normal?" She asked.

He could certainly say he wasn't expecting that. As such, he didn't have an immediate answer. So he spent a few moments in thought.

"Well, I suppose it changes based on the person you're asking." He responded. "But I'm guessing you want my definition."

She nodded wordlessly in affirmation.

"Normal is whatever you make it." He said with a shrug.

Upon seeing her curious and slightly confused expression, he decided to elaborate.

"Normal is all about perspective. You can't define normal from any one standpoint. You have to look at it from different angles."

He held out his left hand.

"On one hand, people would say normal is the sun rising and the sun setting. The sky is blue. Grass is green."

He held out his right hand.

"On the other hand, some people might argue the sun never truly rises or sets. It's the world rotating that gives us that illusion. And someone with color-blindness might describe the sky or grass as a constant shade of gray."

His hands dropped back to his side.

"Me? I wouldn't say my life is normal. I mean, I've fought countless monsters, a god of chaos, and insane cults bent on taking over the world."

He chuckled for a moment, his eyes finding Mabel's once again.

"And now, normal is pretty boring. There are no more monsters. No more gods of chaos. No insane cults. Just regular old Gravity Falls."

He smiles.

"But I don't ever have to worry about being bored permanently. Because I have you."

For the first time, Mabel seemed surprised.

"Me?" She asked.

Dipper nodded.

"Yes, you. I don't know if I ever told you this… But six years ago when we _**were**_ dealing with all the crazy stuff… It wasn't my intelligence, my luck, or even the journals that got me through it all…it was you, Mabel. Just your positive attitude about everything and really just you being there for me was enough."

Suddenly, Dipper was blinded by a mass of deep brown hair as Mabel wrapped him in a crushing hug. The air was pushed from his lungs for a moment before he was able to catch his breath and return the hug. Dipper didn't know how long they sat like that, embracing each other. And honestly, he didn't care. He wouldn't have minded if it lasted forever. But eventually Mabel did pull away. This time she was smiling and he could see tears in her eyes. He relaxed after a moment when he realized they were tears of joy.

"Thanks, Dipper. That means a lot to me."

He could hear the raw emotion in her voice as she sniffled and wiped her tears away, wrapping him in another hug. He noticed this one was much more gentle and he smiled as his arms wrapped around her waist. There was a faint whisper by his ear, and he was so distracted that he almost missed it.

"I love you, Dipper." Mabel whispered softly.

Normally, he would overthink and over-analyze that comment, but for now he decided to respond from his heart instead of his head.

"I love you too, Mabel." He replied.

Her warmth was making him tired and before he knew it his eyes were fluttering closed. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Mabel's brilliant smile as she, too, drifted off into dreamland.


End file.
